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Meta Is Calling Out Google Over Apple's App Privacy Rules


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A sign on the grounds of Facebook parent Meta.

Facebook owner Meta is alleging Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which also sells personalized ads on iPhones, has an unfair advantage under Apple’s new policies.

Credit: Nick Otto/Bloomberg

Meta Platforms Inc.'s revenue is taking a multibillion-dollar hit this year because its social networks can't gather as much data on iPhone users. The company spent last year attacking Apple Inc. for the change; now it's publicly calling out Google, too.

 

The Facebook owner is alleging Alphabet Inc.'s Google, which also sells personalized ads on iPhones, has an unfair advantage under Apple's new policies. Apps including Facebook have to ask users if they consent to being tracked, but Google's search results and browser don't -- causing some advertisers' budgets to shift to Google for more effective targeting.

Meta only started critiquing other tech giants by name in recent years. The social media behemoth, now facing antitrust scrutiny around the world, stands to benefit from framing itself as an underdog, threatened by larger forces. Still, Meta told investors it expected to miss out on $10 billion in ad revenue in 2022 because of Apple's changes, making it clear the company is more severely impacted than others. Facebook had relied on data from other apps and websites to make its ads effective. Without it, advertisers need to spend more money to achieve the same results.

 


 

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